The 2025 NBA Playoffs are here, and the Boston Celtics are awaiting their first-round opponent after clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. As they kick off their title defense against the Hawks or the Magic on Saturday, there will be a few Celtics who will be on their last playoff run in Boston.
Perhaps the most important player the Celtics are at risk of losing this offseason is Jrue Holiday. The two-time NBA champion is starting his ninth playoff run in his age-34 season. Unless the Celtics win the title again, it's hard to see Holiday come back for another season.
Jrue Holiday May Be Entering His Final Postseason With the Celtics
The Celtics are projected to be the most expensive team in NBA history next season. The quartet of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White are due $166 million in the 2025-26 season. Add $17 million for Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, and a new contract for Al Horford, and Boston quickly becomes unsustainably expensive.
While new ownership underlined their desire to keep spending, Boston's projected tax bill for next season is unparalleled. Their nearly $250 million payroll will have a tax bill of $250 million. Plus, this puts the team into a difficult situation under the new collective bargaining agreement, limiting its flexibility going forward.
That is why moving on from Holiday and his $32.4 million salary for next season makes the most sense. The veteran guard should still have plenty of value around the league. Despite showing signs of decline since joining the Celtics in the 2023 offseason, Holiday is still an impactful defender who is a proven winner.
The Celtics can get cheaper and cut their tax bill for next season while adding future assets and draft capital. This would also mean inserting Pritchard into the starting five. The Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner deserves a larger role and putting him in the starting lineup upon Holiday's departure would make for a seamless transition.
Another title would obviously complicate matters and make it difficult for the Celtics to split the core. That would undoubtedly be an excellent problem to have in GM Brad Stevens and the new owner's hands.